Israel fires into Syria after mortar shell hits Golan

Israeli soldiers work on their tank following the first death on the Israeli side of the Golan since the Syrian civil war erupted more than three years ago, near the Israeli village of Alonei Habashan, close to the Quneitra border crossing, Sunday, June 22, 2014. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

The IDF responded early Monday morning to a mortar shell launched from Syria that hit the Golan Heights, firing at suspicious positions on the Syrian side of the border.

In late June, Israel carried out a series of airstrikes targeting Syrian troops in retaliation for a deadly cross-border attack, killing four people and wounding nine others. A teenage Israeli boy was killed and two other people were wounded in what was the first deadly incident along the volatile Israeli-Syrian frontier since the start of the Syrian civil war.

Israel has kept a close eye on the Syrian uprising since it began in March 2011, although it has avoided backing either side. On several occasions, artillery rounds have landed on the Israeli side of the de facto border, drawing limited Israeli reprisals.

Israel also has carried out several airstrikes in Syria over the past three years, primarily targeting suspected weapons shipments allegedly destined for Hezbollah militants in neighboring Lebanon. In each of the cases, the Syrian government vowed retaliation, but refrained from taking any action.

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